My Four Months in Finland

Helsinki city view from our 11th floor apartment

While a significant portion of the research for this project is based on published texts, the impact of living in Finland cannot be overstated. Visiting schools, speaking with experts, and living in a place where sustainability is emphasized all offered invaluable insights. A few highlights are shown below. If you'd like to see the day-to-day highlights of my time in Finland, check out @mr.barnett_in_finland on Instagram.

Site Visits

A forest day with Vantaan Luontokoulu

Baking at a community center with students from Latokartano Comprehensive School

Outdoor lesson in the beautiful nature space at the Lahnus school

Sampling for plankton with students at Harakan luontokeskus

Finnish Culture

National flags are mostly only flown on holidays in Finland; this is on Finnish Heritage Day on Suomenlinna

Pastries in the market hall on Valentine's Day, which is a celebration of friendship

Vappu (May Day) celebration at Kaivopuisto

Pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) game in Meilahti

Life in Helsinki

Hakaniemi Market Hall was just a couple of blocks from our apartment; great spot for coffee, pastries, and so much more!

People in Nordic countries do a great job of soaking up the sunlight when it's available; this is at Tokoinranta

Much of the city is close to the Baltic Sea; this is Cafe Ursula, a lovely spot on the water

'Omistuskirjoitus' (Dedication), the stairway at Oodi, the central library

Travels in Finland

We took a night train (12 hours!) to Rovaniemi on our trip to the Laplands

After 6 more hours on a bus, we arrived at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station (and saw the aurora borealis!)

The Lahti Ski Games, which include three days of cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined competitions

Porvoo, Finland's 2nd oldest city

Other Travel

Vasa Museum in Stockholm

Fulham FC match at Craven Cottage in London

View of Prague from Petřín

Greeting my daughters at Gare du Nord in Paris

Misc.

Google Translate was an essential research tool, both while visiting schools and reading texts

Similarly, Google Maps was an incredible tool for navigation (only rented a car once in 4 months--walking, bike, bus, train, tram, subway, boat, and planes took care of the rest.

Can't have a Finnish project without 'sisu'--this is one of the ice breakers in the Helsinki harbor

Finished my time in Finland by running the Helsinki City Marathon

Google Sites

Report abuse